| Final | time | | | 1. Helga Arendt |  FRG | 51.52s | | | 2. Diane Dixon |  USA | 51.77s | | | 3. Jillian Richardson |  CAN | 52.02s | | | 4. Marie Holland |  AUS | 52.17s | | | 5. Marina Shmonina |  URS | 52.44s | | | 6. Sally Gunnell |  GBR | 52.60s | |
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| | | First 3 advanced to Final |
| Semi 1 | time | | | 1. Diane Dixon | USA | 52.12s | Q | | 2. Jillian Richardson | CAN | 52.17s | Q | | 3. Marie Holland | AUS | 52.21s | Q | | 4. Marina Charlamova | URS | 52.23s | | | 5. Charmaine Crooks | CAN | 52.52s | | | 6. Judit Forgacz |  HUN | 53.86s | |
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| Semi 2 | time | | | 1. Helga Arendt | FRG | 52.29s | Q | | | 2. Marina Shmonina | URS | 52.33s | Q | | | 3. Sally Gunnell | GBR | 52.35s | Q | | | 4. Iolanda Oanta |  ROU | 52.93s | | | | 5. Erzsebet Szabo | HUN | 52.93s | | | | 6. Jearl Miles | USA | 53.28s | | |
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| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Marie Holland | AUS | 52.90s | Q | | | 2. Marina Shmonina | URS | 53.03s | Q | | | 3. Judit Forgacs | HUN | 53.33s | q | | | 4. Jearl Miles | USA | 53.33s | q | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Diane Dixon | USA | 53.15s | Q | | 2. Jillian Richardson | CAN | 53.36s | Q | | 3. Erzsebet Szabo | HUN | 53.41s | q | | 4. Marcia Tate |  JAM | 53.53s | | | 5. Angela Piggford | GBR | 53.69s | |
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| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Sally Gunnell | GBR | 52.91s | Q | | 2. Charmaine Crooks | CAN | 53.22s | Q | | 3. Helga Arendt | FRG | 53.31s | q | | 4. Marina Charlamova | URS | 53.44s | q | | 5. Iolanda Oanta | ROU | 53.50s | q |
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